Apparatus for intermittent, unidirectional rotation of cigarette trays

ABSTRACT

Cigarette tray in automatic cigarette packing mechaine is rotated through 180* to return it to an upright position by an intermittent drive comprising a worm gear on a shaft carrying a tray holder, a disk driven with the worm gear and having stops for restraining rotation of the worm gear, a detent engageable with such stops and a worm engaging the worm gear and mounted on a continuously rotating shaft which is axially slidable against spring pressure, the worm and its shaft moving axially when the worm gear is restrained until it disengages the detent from the disk stop which permits rotation of the worm gear and return of the worm by the spring pressure to a normal position with accompanying rotation of the tray holder.

United States Patent [191 Cartoceti et al.

[ Oct. 23, 1973 6; Giancarlo Orlandi, Via S. Felise 92, both of Bologna,Italy Primary Examiner-Milton Kaufman AttorneyGeorge W. Price et al.

[5 7] ABSTRACT Cigarette tray in automatic cigarette packing mechaine isrotated through 180 to return it to an upright position by anintermittent drive comprising a.

worm gear on a shaft carrying a tray holder, a disk driven with the wormgear and having stops for restraining rotation of the worm gear, adetent engageable with such stops and a worm engaging the worm gear andmounted on a continuously rotating shaft which is axially slidableagainst spring pressure, the worm and its shaft moving axially when theworm gear is restrained until it disengages the detent from the diskstop which permits rotation of the worm gear and return of the worm bythe spring pressure to a normal position with accompanying rotation ofthe tray holder.

5 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENT, UNIDIRECTIONALROTATION OF CIGARETTE TRAYS This invention relates to an intermittent,unidirectional drive mechanism particularly for returning a cigarettetray in an automatic cigarette packing machine to an upright positionafter being inverted to release cigarettes therefrom.

In various machines, particularly automatic machines, it is sometimesnecessary that a shaft be caused to have an intermittent, unidirectionalrotation with its motion related to the continuous, unidirectionalrotation of another shaft of the machine. For example, in

V automatic cigarette packing machines, the cigarettes are poured inbatches in an orderly manner into the machine hopper, each batch beingcontained in an open top and front tray, so that each tray must first beturned 180 to be overturned for pouring the cigarettes into the hopperand, then, must be turned another 180 to return it to its originalposition, that is, upright, after the cigarettes are poured into saidhopper.

Thus far, the systems used for turning the trays have been rathercomplicated or have presented the inconvenience of being very large. Inthese prior art systems, the resetting of a tray upright involved eithera rotation around a shaft parallel to one of the major sides of the trayor a rotation around a shaft perpendicular to a plane which is parallelto the back of thetray but external to said tray.

One object of this invention is to substantially eliminate theseinconveniences and, for this purpose, it employs an intermittentrotating mechanism which is particularly useful for returning the traysto an upright position inthe tray feeders for automatic cigarettepacking machines. The rotating mechanism comprises a mechanicalpotential energy accumulator, generally a spring system, operativelyinterposed between a continuously rotated drive shaft and a driven shaftwhich is intermittently rotated by means of the energy accumulated insaid energy accumulator,means for automatically locking and releasingthe driven shaft in relation to predetermined minimum and maximum chargeconditionsofsaid accumulator, said locking and releasing meansbeingcoupled in an operatively predetermined manner with the drive shaftso that the rate and timing of the intermittent rotary motion of thedriven shaft is directly related to the continuous rotary motion of thedrive shaft.

The features of the invention and the resulting advantages will beclearly understood from the following detailed description-of apresently preferred embodiment of the invention, which descriptionshould be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing inwhich the single FIGURE is a perspective view, partly broken away andpartly in section, of such preferred embodiment.

With reference to the drawing, acontainer 2 is fastened to an end of anoutput shaft 1. Empty trays C are successively transferred tothe'container 2 by conventional means, not illustrated. A worm gear 3iskeyed on the output shaft 1 and a disk 4, having two protuberances orstops 104 on its periphery, is secured to the worm gear 3. The stops 104are spaced from each other and generally are diametrically opposed. Aworm 7 which is secured to the driven shaft meshes with the worm gear 3to provide a driving connection between the driven shaft 5 and theoutput shaft 1. The shaft 5 head 107 of the worm 7, or as mentioned, myother the roller 13 and causes the lever 10 to rotate round the 2 isdriven by a pinion 8 which is coupled to it with a slidable longitudinaltongue or key type coupling 9. The hub of the pinion 8 is carried in abearing 108 which is housed in a bushing 208 integral with the fixedframe of the machine, so that said pinion 8 can rotate the shaft 5 butis prevented from moving axially or longitudinally of the shaft. Theshaft 5 can, however, slide with respect to the pinion 8 in a directionaxially thereof. The pinion 8 constitutes the coupling element betweenthe shaft 5 and any suitable driving source (not illustrated).

The disk 4 constitutes one part of a detent means for alternatelypreventing and permitting rotation of the output shaft 1. Cooperatingwith the disk 4 is a lever 10 pivoted at 11 on the machine fixed frameand carrying at the end 110 a roller 12 which is urged into contact withthe periphery of the disk 4 by means of a spring 15 which acts on thelever 10. As long as the roller 12 is'engaged with one or the other ofthe protuberances 104 on the disk 4, the lever 10 prevents the rotationof said disk and, consequently of the shaft 1.

A roller 13 is mounted on the lever 10 and extends into the vicinity ofthe shaft 5 so as to come into contact withthe head of the worm 7 whenit moves from the position shown to a second position to the leftthereof as described hereinafter. Of course, instead of using the headof the worm 7 to engage the roller 13, a projection of the shaft, suchas a pin extendingtherefrom, may be used. As mentioned, an empty tray Cwhich is overturned at the packer hopper by conventionalmeans notillustrated is transferred into the container 2 which is equipped with asuitable holding element 14, pivotable aroundthe axis of the shaft 14a,to prevent the tray from dropping while the container 2 rotates. Thedrawing shows the empty tray- C being transferred intothe container 2.

When the roller 12 engages one of the protuberances 104 of the disk 4,it prevents the shaft 1 and theworm gear 3 from rotating. Consequently,the worm 7, while rotating in engagement with the teeth of said gear 3,causes the shaft 5, to which it is keyed, to move axially towards thelever 10. When the shaft, and hence, the

suitable projection integral with the shaft 5, engages fulcrum 11 untilthe roller 12 becomes disengaged from the protuberances 104. As soon asthe roller 12 becomes disengaged from a protuberance 104, theworm gear 3is free to rotate.

As the shaft 5 is moved axially, due to the action of the worm 7 on thestationary worm gear 3, a spring 16 which is between a thrust bearing102 on the fixed machineframe and a collar 105. secured to the shaftS iscompressed, the spring 16 acting as an energy accumulator. When the wormgear'3 becomes freeto rotate,

the shaft 5 moves axially in the opposite direction and returns'to theposition shown in the drawing. As the.

shaft 5 returns to such position it carries the worm '7 with it causingthe worm gear 3 to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow 3a,the worm gear 3 also being rotated, in part, by the rotation of the worm7. The spacing of the roller 13 from the head 107 is selected so as toproduce rotation of the shaft 1 during the return of the shaft 5 fromthe position in which it disengages the roller 12 from one protuberance104 substantially to the position shown in the drawing. As

the shaft 1, and hence, the disk 4, rotates, the roller 12 rides on theperiphery of the disk 4 until it engages the other diametricallyopposite protuberance 104 at which time rotation of the shaft 1 isstopped and the cycle is repeated, the container 2 being returned to theupright position shown where it is ready to receive and rotate anothertray C.

While the container 2 is in the inverted position, the lever 17,rotatable by the shaft 17a, pivots the holding element 14 permitting thetray C to drop down on the pins 18 (only one shown) extending from thechains 19 which lower the tray C to the appropriate machine position(not shown).

From the foregoing, it is apparent that the continuous, unidirectionalrotation of the driven shaft 5 is converted into intermittent,unidirectional rotation of the output shaft 1, the shaft 1 turningone-half of a revolution for each reciprocation of the shaft 5. Theshaft 5 is caused to move axially in a first direction each timerotation of the worm gear 3, and hence, the shaft 1 is prevented bymeans of the detent means comprising the disk 4 with its protuberances104 and the lever with the roller 12. When the head 107 of the worm 7moves the lever 10 because of engagement thereof with the roller 13, thedetent means is released permitting the worm gear 3 to rotate andpermitting the shaft 5 to move axially in the opposite direction byreason of the force of the spring 16.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment especially adapted for use in automatic cigarette packingmachines, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications thereof can be made, without departing from the spirit andprinciples of the invention as exemplified by the preferred embodimentillustrated and described herein. For example, the shaft 5 could remainfixed axially and the worm 7 could be slidably mounted thereon butrotatable therewith and the spring 16 could act between the fixed frameand the worm 7 so as to cause reciprocation of the worm 7 without axialmovement of the shaft 5.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for producing intermittent, unidirectional rotationcomprising a rotatable output shaft and a driven, rotatable input shaft,detent means for alternately preventing and permitting rotation of saidoutput shaft, driving means interconnecting said shafts comprising afirst member mounted on and for rotation with said driven shaftconnected in driving relation with a second member mounted on and forrotation with said output shaft, one of said first and second membersbeing movable from a first position to a second position by said drivenshaft when said output shaft is prevented from rotating, detentoperating means movable with said one member for releasing said detentmeans when said one member is in said second position and thereby topermit rotation of said output shaft, energy accumulating means actingin opposition to movement of said one member from said first position tosaid second position for returning said one member to said firstposition upon release of said detent means and for thereby causing saidone member to rotate said output shaft during the return of said onemember to said first position.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one member is saidfirst member which rotates said second member during the return of saidfirst member to said first position.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further comprising container meansfor receiving and holding a cigarette tray mounted'on and for rotationwith said output shaft.

4; Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said driven shaft ismounted for sliding movement axially thereof, said first member is aworm and second member is a worm gear in engagement with said worm, saiddetent operating means is a projection on said driven shaft, said detentmeans comprises a disk having peripheral protuberances mounted forrotation with said worm gear and a lever having a portion thereofengageable with said protuberances and urged theretoward and having aportion engageable with said projection on said driven shaft, and'saidenergy accumulating means is a spring urging said worm into said firstposition.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a drivingpinion mounted on said driven shaft in sliding and driving relationtherewith.

x, m an m

1. Apparatus for producing intermittent, unidirectional rotationcomprising a rotatable output shaft and a driven, rotatable input shaft,detent means for alternately preventing and permitting rotation of saidoutput shaft, driving means interconnecting said shafts comprising afirst member mounted on and for rotation with said driven shaftconnected in driving relation with a second member mounted on and forrotation with said output shaft, one of said first and second membersbeing movable from a first position to a second position by said drivenshaft when said output shaft is prevented from rotating, detentoperating means movable with said one member for releasing said detentmeans when said one member is in said second position and thereby topermit rotation of said output shaft, energy accumulating means actingin opposition to movement of said one member from said first position tosaid second position for returning said one member to said firstposition upon release of said detent means and for thereby causing saidone member to rotate said output shaft during the return of said onemember to said first position.
 2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1,wherein said one member is said first member which rotates said secondmember during the return of said first member to said first position. 3.Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further comprising container meansfor receiving and holding a cigarette tray mounted on and for rotationwith said output shaft.
 4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, whereinsaid driven shaft is mounted for sliding movement axially thereof, saidfirst member is a worm and second member is a worm gear in engagementwith said worm, said detent operating means is a projectioN on saiddriven shaft, said detent means comprises a disk having peripheralprotuberances mounted for rotation with said worm gear and a leverhaving a portion thereof engageable with said protuberances and urgedtheretoward and having a portion engageable with said projection on saiddriven shaft, and said energy accumulating means is a spring urging saidworm into said first position.
 5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4,further comprising a driving pinion mounted on said driven shaft insliding and driving relation therewith.